Joseph Wright masterpieces reunited after 80 years
BBCTwo of revered artist Joseph Wright's most celebrated works are being reunited in his hometown of Derby for the first time in 80 years.
The pieces sit at the heart of a new exhibition at Derby Museum & Art Gallery celebrating his famous candlelight paintings, fresh from being displayed at the National Gallery in London.
Derby Museums has also launched a self-guided tour across the city highlighting places that inspired the artist throughout his life.
Lucy Bamford, the body's senior curator for art, said: "These paintings are among the most powerful, unforgettable images of British art. Seeing them reunited in Derby - where Wright's story began - is a rare and inspiring experience."
Joseph Wright: From the Shadowsis the world's first exhibition dedicated to Wright's famous candlelight paintings.
It brings together 21 paintings from Derby Museums' Wright collection alongside the return of An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768), which has been loaned from the National Gallery in London where it went on display in November 2025.
It is being showcased next to the museum's own Wright masterpiece, A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery in which a Lamp is put in the Place of the Sun (1766) - the first time they have been seen together in Derby since 1947.
Bamford said: "From the Shadows in Derby offers both local and national audiences the chance to take a closer look at Wright's extraordinary mastery of light, drama, and human emotion in this landmark touring exhibition."
The exhibition also features two 17th Century Dutch candlelight paintings to explore Wright's wider influences along with his rarely-seen 1769 painting, An Academy by Lamplight
The celebration marks the finale of Derby's Year of Wright.
Tony Butler, executive director of Derby Museums, said: "It is a celebration not only of Joseph Wright's legacy but of the city that shaped one of Britain's most original artistic voices.
"Our Year of Wright finale will show that there is no Wright without Derby."
The self-guided tour, which features 14 stops around the city of Derby, includes some its most famous buildings, such as Derby Cathedral, where Joseph Wright's grave marker can be found.
Other stops are more personal like Full Street, where his eldest brother lived.
Dr Alex Rock, director of commercial and operations for the museum, added: "There is so much of Joseph Wright's Derby market town left in Derby that what this becomes is a celebration of who he is, his craft."
The exhibition is free to enter and is on until November.
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